


A Cup of Love is What I Want to Serve You

by Jiru_Ji



Category: Supernatural
Genre: M/M, coffee shop AU
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-01-01
Updated: 2013-08-26
Packaged: 2017-11-23 06:52:55
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 7,443
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/619300
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jiru_Ji/pseuds/Jiru_Ji
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Gabriel and Castiel are the proud owners of 'A Bit of Heaven', where Gabriel makes the coffee and Castiel is in charge of the pastries.<br/>Tired of Castiel's obvious crush and Dean's obliviousness Sam and Gabriel decide to work together to get Cas to confront Dean about his feelings and the latter to get his head out of his ass. Things don't go as planned, though, as a  developer by the name of Crowley isn't to concerned by the means of getting what he wants, and that is to open up a big mall, with the shop right in the middle of the ground he needs.<br/>In between trying to save the shop and everything else, Sam and Gabriel realize their growing feelings for each other. </p><p>Will all end well, and at what cost?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Apple Custard Muffins

The smell of apple and cinnamon started to fill the small shop as Gabriel  bustled about to make sure everything was ready for when the first customers came. Warmth engulfed him as he stepped into the kitchen. The smell was stronger in here and Gabriel closed his eyes momentarily, basking in the overwhelming sweetness of it. His younger cousin, Castiel, was busy making chocolate chip dough, a look of pure concentration on his face as always.

Flour stained the younger man’s dark hair and forehead from where he’d run a hand through it to push it back from his eyes. “These ready to be put out?” Gabriel asked, pointing to several trays. It took a moment for Castiel to register Gabriel’s presence in the kitchen and what he’d said. “Euh, yeah, you can take those.”

Chuckling at his cousin Gabriel grabbed some of the trays and exited the kitchen. No matter how long they knew each other, he’d never be able to completely understand Castiel. The way his mind could centre in on baking and forget about almost anything else was only one of the many little quirks the younger man possessed.

It didn’t take him long to put everything in place and when he was about done he saw that it was almost time to open up shop. He unlocked the door and turned the sign that hung from it around, displaying the word ‘ _OPEN_ ’ in Cas’ neat handwriting. Castiel was the one to always write things like the specialty board or the price tags. Gabriel’s own handwriting was almost impossible to decipher, often even by himself.

The little bell above the door chimed merrily almost as soon as he had turned around and he couldn’t help the small smile that tugged at his lips. He was pretty certain about who had entered the little shop. The same person to enter the shop almost every day like clockwork. Gabriel turned around and his smile widened just a tad. “Good morning Sam. The usual I suppose?”

 The tall man who had just entered smiled, brown eyes warm and crinkling in the corners. “Good morning to you too, Gabriel. You know me too well.” Gabriel shrugged as he turned around and made his way over towards the coffee machine. “You do order the same thing every day. ‘S not that hard to remember.” Sam shook his head softly, shoulder length brown hair swaying just a little. The scent of freshly ground coffee filled the air, mingling pleasantly with the apple and cinnamon.

Just about then Castiel stepped out of the kitchen, a tray of muffins held in his hands. “Hello Sam.” He said, the faintest trace of a smile on his lips. “Good morning Castiel.” Sam looked at the tray in his hands and took a deep breath as the delicious smell hit him. “Are those what I think they are?” Castiel nodded. “If you thought my apple custard muffins then you are indeed correct.” Smiling, Sam turned towards Gabriel. “Then I’d like two of those as well.”

Gabriel grabbed two from the tray and placed them inside a small paper bag as Castiel started placing the remaining ones inside the display. “I’ll keep one on the side for your brother.” Castiel eventually said, a now empty tray in his hands. “That’s very kind of you Castiel. I’ll pick it up after work.” At that, Gabriel cleared his throat, drawing the man’s attention to the coffee and paper bag he was holding. “Wouldn’t want our favourite sasquatch to be late, now would we.” He said jokingly, glancing pointedly towards the clock hanging on the far wall.

Sam’s eyes widened a little at the position of the hands. “Right.” He quickly dug out a ten dollar bill and grabbed his order. “Keep the change.” In the blink of an eye he was outside and hurrying along the street.

Shaking his head Gabriel turned towards his cousin, a grin appearing as he noticed the love-struck expression on Castiel’s face. “You’re hopeless, you know that. Talk to him, ask him out on a date. Using his brother to give him treats isn’t going to accomplish anything. Well, besides him ending up fat or turning into a dog or something.

Castiel’s face quickly regained its default emotionless expression, the slight flush of his cheeks the only indicator of his embarrassment. He turned around pointedly and stalked towards the kitchen, grabbed the remaining trays of muffins after having removed one and placed them on the counter besides Gabriel before disappearing into the kitchen, slamming the door shut with just a little more force than necessary.

Gabriel let out a sigh and rolled his eyes. Muttering quietly to himself about oblivious younger cousins and how no one ever appreciated his advice – and it was great advice, the best there was, mind you – he placed the remaining muffins inside the display.

People started trickling in. Some just ordered drinks on the go, sometimes with a muffin or some other pasty. Others took their time and sat down at one of the small tables or on the couches that were placed inside. Gabriel bustled about, serving people, preparing orders,  exchanging a few words with some of the regular customers. Every now and then, Castiel would briefly pop out his head from the kitchen and tell him another batch of pastries or a pie was done before disappearing once more.

They were a good team, Gabriel and Castiel. Gabriel liked people, liked chatting with them about small trivialities. Castiel on the other hand, not so much. He loved baking and, sure, the fact that people willingly bought what he made, made him feel all giddy inside but that didn’t mean he wanted more to do with them than that. No, leave all the social stuff to Gabriel. Whenever he tried it just ends up being awkward or a total disaster.

The little shop wasn’t very well know. That’s what you got when you were tucked away in a small, insignificant dead-end street no one ever really used. Most people just happened to stumble upon it by accident, but almost always they would be back.  That’s just how good everything they offered was. A handful of their regular customers, like Sam, worked at the law firm two streets away. Most others were either locals or people that worked in the town. Every once in a blue moon a tourist would find their way inside but that was about it.

Gabriel and Castiel had bought the shop from a man by the name of Chuck Shurley. He’d owned the shop for years until his books had started gaining fame. He’d then decided to sell and concentrate on writing full-time. Gabriel had read all of the man’s books, not that he’d ever admit to it. Cas just happened to have them laying around. After they bought the place Gabriel had wanted to change the name but Castiel had put his foot down. ‘A Bit of Heaven’, it was tacky and girly and every other possible synonym but Cas liked it, and really, who could say no to those big baby-blues in addition to a wibbly lower lip and flour covered hair pointing every which direction. And maybe, just maybe, Gabriel secretly liked it as well. He’d never admit it thought. Not in a million years. Not even if his life was on the line.

But the shop, small as it may be, was theirs. It was home, love and frustration, good days and bad, fights and comfort, all theirs, and they absolutely adored it.

The rest of the day passed by as usual. A little before six Sam re-entered the shop and sat down on one of the stools at the counter. Gabriel had just been cleaning it. The smaller man put aside the wet rag and leaned a hip against the other side of the counter. “Back already Sammy? I knew you couldn’t resist my charm.” Sam just rolled his eyes in amusement. He had gotten used to Gabriel’s teasing and general fondness of being silly. It had taken him a while and a lot of blushing but now he was able to retort in much the same way. “Charm? You? I’m more prone to suspecting you of putting something in my coffee so I keep coming back.”

Gabriel let out a chuckle. “Me? Never?” He tapped Sam on the nose real quick before straightening himself. “Anyway, what can I get you?” Sam rubbed his nose with a mock indignant look on his face. “You’re a meanie, you know that.” “Yeah, so what if I am, but if you’re not gonna order anything I’ll have to throw you out.” Gabriel laughed. I was nice to fool around like this every once in a while. Whenever he tried it with Cas it just ended up a disaster. Like, seriously, how could _anyone_ take anything _that_ literal. Oh, it could be very entertaining to confuse Cas on purpose like that every once in a while but Gabriel preferred people with at least enough wit to provide a bit of a challenge for him. Not that anyone could ever match him, he was the king of wit.

“Oh, I’m sure you will Gabriel. After all you dislike me _so_ very much.” After this Sam looked up at the board. He didn’t really feel like coffee right now, no matter how good Gabriel’s  was. “A big cup of caramel hot chocolate sounds nice and …” He looked at the display, not sure what kind of pastry to choose. “You know what? Surprise me.”

At that Gabriel waggled his eyebrows. “Oh, I’m sure I can manage that, Sam-a-lamb.” Sam just rolled his eyes again. “You’re never gonna change, are you Gabriel?” Gabriel turned around to start on the hot chocolate as he cheered, “Nope.”, popping the ‘p’. Sam let out a small laugh as he shook his head.  That’s why he liked coming here so much, aside from the excellent coffee and pastries. It was a nice way to relax after a stressful day of work.

Oh, he loved his job very much, being able to help people like that was very rewarding and made Sam feel as if he actually meant something, could do something. Sure, being a lawyer could at times be very stressful and draining, and sometimes there were cases that really shook him but that’s why he came here. To relax, to forget about all the troubles of the world, even if for just a short while. He was glad he’d found the place.

“Here you go.” Gabriel said, placing a big, steaming mug of hot chocolate in front of Sam along with a cinnamon swirl. “Thanks.” Sam gave a small smile before taking a big bite of his swirl, enjoying how the spices tickled the insides of his mouth. Castiel’s cinnamon swirls were probably the spiciest ones Sam had ever eaten but they were to die for. Not everyone appreciated the strong taste but hey, their loss.

The only other customers in the shop beside Sam had been an elderly couple who’d just left. Gabriel excused himself as he grabbed his cleaning rag and a tray. He quickly cleaned up the table and brought the dishes to the kitchen to be put in the dishwasher. All the while he told Castiel they’d probably be closing up pretty soon. It was already starting to get dark outside and there were barely any people out on the streets anymore. Returning from the kitchen Gabriel grabbed a lollipop from the box he kept beneath the counter. He quickly popped it inside his mouth before jumping up on the counter and placing an arm on top of the display beside him. “You staying for a while, Sammy?” Sam rolled his eyes at the shorter man’s antics before shaking his head. “I already told you to stop calling me that and no, not today. I still want to get to the store before it’s completely dark. Dean once again forgot half of the stuff I asked him to bring. He can be such a child at times.”

Gabriel twirled the lollipop around in his mouth, occasionally clinking the hard candy against his teeth. “Deano’s still the same then, huh. In that case, I’ll ask Cassie to wrap up his muffin first.” Gabriel gave a suggestive wink at the last part. Sam had been suspecting that Castiel might have a bit of a crush on his brother and Gabriel had only confirmed that. Sam was pretty sure Dean was totally oblivious to the other man’s affections, even despite Cas’ frequent visits to the garage because there was once again something ‘wrong’ with his car and the pastries he always gave Sam to give to Dean.

It was kinda cute to watch but Sam was also slightly worried about when it might get through Deans’ thick skull. Probably never if it was up to the older Winchester.

“CASSIE!” Gabriel suddenly roared as he saw Sam was almost finished with his hot chocolate and swirl, startling the other man. “Jesus, Gabriel. Warn a man would you.” Gabriel just smiled impishly, “Nope.”

“What?” Castiel said with an annoyed look on his face as he poked his head from behind the door. “Pack up Deano’s treat would you, Sammy here’s leaving soon.” Cas gave a quick nod before pulling his head back in. As he waited for Cas Sam finished his hot chocolate. Now that there weren’t any customers anymore Castiel had left the kitchen door open and they could see him running around the kitchen. 

Moments later Castiel appeared again, now holding a small paper bag, top neatly folded and with a curly ribbon taped on to keep it closed. Gabriel just grinned obnoxiously as he grabbed the bag and swapped it with Sam’s cup and saucer. Castiel raised an eyebrow at that before sighing and subtly rolling his eyes as he faced Sam. “Please give your brother my regards.” Sam gave a nod, “I will.” He then turned towards Gabriel who was still holding the bag and twirling one of the ribbon’s ends around his fingers, still with that damned grin of his on his face. Sam merely extended a hand. Gabriel first looked at his hand and then his face, still twirling the ribbon, before letting out a sigh and placing the bag in Sam’s hand. “Well then, guess I’ll see you two tomorrow. Have a nice evening.” He grabbed his shoulder bag from where it had been sitting on the ground between his feet, slung it over his shoulder and placed the muffin inside, making sure it sat on top nicely so it wouldn’t get crushed. He then fished his wallet from his pocket and paid for the hot chocolate and swirl.

“Goodnight Sam.” Castiel said, quickly followed by Gabriel’s loud “Don’t forget to bring me breakfast, or a present!” Sam just shook his head, smiling, as he gave a small wave before exiting the small shop.

The chilly November wind hit him full on and he turned up his coat collar, huddling deeper in its woollen warmth. With his hands deep in his pockets he started on his way to the store. Dean had once again ‘accidentally’ forgotten to buy half of the stuff Sam had asked him to, and it always were the same things; vegetables, fruit, milk, bread, stuff like that. Strange how he never seemed to forget pie, alcohol, steak or tv-dinners. Sam should have learned by now, but he still hoped that one day, Dean would behave like an actual adult, at least when concerning food.

He quickly got everything he needed and was now on his way to Dean and his apartment. It wasn’t that far from the store but still enough for Sam to be glad to be home, his nose and fingers tingling with the cold.

As soon as he unlocked the door Sam could hear the sound from the tv pour over him. Rolling his eyes he placed the grocery bags on the ground, quickly followed by his shoulder bag in order to take off his coat and hang it on the rack in the hallway. As soon as Sam entered the living room he saw Dean sprawled out on the couch, beer bottle in hand. Dean raised the bottle slightly as a greeting, almost entirely too focused on the tv to notice the shopping bags in Sam’s hands. He was watching that Spanish soap he loved so much, Sam didn’t really see the appeal but apparently Dean did. When he finally noticed the bags he focused on his brother instead, eyebrows raised. “Why’d you go shopping? I already did that.” “Yeah, and you forgot about half the things I asked you to buy.” Dean gave a light shrug. “Hey, you may enjoy eating like a rabbit, doesn’t mean I do too.” That earned him one of Sam’s infamous bitch-faces. “It’s not ‘eating like a rabbit’, Dean. It’s a healthy and varied diet.” He said before disappearing in the kitchen. “Whatever you say,” Dean mumbled, “Bitch.” before taking a swig from his beer. “Jerk.” It sounded from the kitchen. Dean smiled lightly in his beer before focusing back on the tv.

Sam had already started to put away the groceries when he remembered the muffin. He quickly retrieved the treat before stepping into the living room. “Hey Dean, Cas asked me to give you this, and he says hi as well.” When he was sure Dean was looking at him Sam threw the paper bag towards him in a high arc. Dean’s face lit up as he caught the bag, tearing it open with glee. “Ooh, wonder what it is this time.” Sam shook his head at his brother’s loud cheer as he went back to the groceries. “Apple custard muffins, Sam! Apple. Custard. Muffins.” Those muffins were Dean’s favourite, right after pie. “I wuv ‘at guy” Dean managed to get out around a mouthful of muffin.

  
 

Gabriel stood in the middle of the shop, hands on his hips, looking over the shop to make sure he had done everything that had to be done. Pleased with himself he gave a slight nod before spinning around dramatically and walking towards the kitchen. “You almost done here, Cas?” He asked as he watched the other man put his baking supplies away. “Almost. Could you put away the dishes, the dishwasher just finished.” Gabriel hummed in agreement but didn’t immediately head over towards the dishwasher. He just wandered around the kitchen a bit, pulling open cupboards and drawers as if not already knowing what was in most of them.

Castiel sighed as he gave his cousin a pointed look. “Gabriel. Dishwasher. Now.” He said in a manner of someone who had said the same thing thousands of times already. Oh, Gabriel knew well enough how much it annoyed Castiel to have other people wander around his kitchen, get in his way. It was exactly why he did it. “Fine, fine. I’m going already.” He said, hands raised as he walked towards the other side of the kitchen to do as he was told.

The kitchen was Castiel’s domain and it was one of the few places he would not stand Gabriel being, well, Gabriel. Gabriel respected that, most of the time. Every once in a while he simply couldn’t resist the temptation.

Several minutes later and everything was put in place and away. Gabriel put his arm over Castiel’s shoulders as they exited the kitchen and crossed the shop towards the door. Castiel let him. Once outside Gabriel removed his arm and locked the door before both of them hurried towards the door right beside the shop. Neither of them ever bothered with a coat and the evening air was really starting to get a bite to it.

The shop had two apartments above  it, the one on the first floor had originally been Gabriel’s and the one on the second floor Castiel’s. Over time, as Gabriel just kept barging into Castiel’s apartment to watch tv and leaving stuff, the two separate apartments had merged into one big one. Both their front doors were always left open, making the door that lead to the building their front door instead of their separate doors. They still had their own bedrooms and more or less bathrooms, it wasn’t unusual for Gabriel to join Castiel in his when brushing his teeth or to shower there. All of their stuff was divided between both places and even the hallway. It may seem a little unusual but it worked for them

Once inside Gabriel made straight for the kitchen to grab a candy bar and shove it inside his mouth before grabbing several more. His next stop was the couch and as soon as he was seated and had dropped the candy bars in his lap he found the remote and clicked on the big flat screen tv hanging from the wall.

Reaching the top of the stairs that lead to ‘Gabriel’s’ apartment at a more leisurely pace Cas smiled fondly as the sounds from the tv filled the place before walking over to the second flight of stairs and grabbing a book at random from one of the piles that were placed all over it. Entering the living room he sat himself down on one of the two armchairs. He quickly pulled off his shoes and tucked his legs underneath him before opening the book. He didn’t really care much for the sorts of shows Gabriel liked to watch, or so he said.

The side of Gabriel’s mouth quirked up just a little. Castiel may say he doesn’t share Gabriel’s love for idiotic reality shows or sappy soaps, but Gabriel knew that, whenever Castiel sat down to ‘read’ whenever he watched tv, he wouldn’t turn a single page.


	2. Irish Coffee

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is so late it's not even funny, I know.  
> It's just that I've been crazy busy and then had a Big Bang to finish which ended up over twice as long as I entended it to be which put me off of writing for a bit and, most important of all, I had to figure out where I was going with this story since the first chapter was really just something I wrote on a whim with only a very vague idea in the back of my head.
> 
> This chapter may also be a little inconsistend since I wrote it over a rather large span of time, little bits here and there.

The next few days went by as always until one Saturday, just past noon. Things were just starting to calm down after the rush of people stopping by on their lunch breaks for a cup of coffee or a pastry as dessert. Gabriel was in the process of refilling the display with Castiel's new batches when a soft chiming resounded through the shop, signalling a customer. He poked his head out from behind the display to take a look.

"Oh, no, not you again." He muttered, rolling his eyes.

An amused chuckle sounded through the air as the person walked over to the counter, placed his arms atop it and leaned forwards to look Gabriel in the face.

" Oh Gaby, you know you love me. You're just denying it because you're afraid of your feeeelings for me." He said in a sing-sing voice, accent smooth and heavy.

"Yeah, love to see you get run over by a bus." Gabriel replied, sharply.

The man let himself fall back on the chair behind him. "Ouch."

Gabriel paid no attention to his dramatic act as he closed the display.

"What do you want, Balthazar?" Balthazar shrugged as he watched Gabriel bend down to open a small cabinet underneath where the coffee machine stood and take out a bag of coffee beans.

"Oh, you know, money, women, booze. The kinda stuff every man wants. Well, except little Cassie maybe. How's our baker boy anyway?"

Gabriel had been pouring beans into the almost-empty reservoir but stopped mid-way so he could turn around and look at Balthazar with a complete deadpan expression. "You. Are. Insufferable."

A shrug as Balthazar put a foot against the counter and pushed, balancing on the two back-legs of the chair. "You love me for it and you know it. Now make me a coffee, seeing as that's what you do."

Gabriel shook his head and let out an exaggerated sigh, solely as a mean to irritate the other but grabbed a mug anyway.

"For that matter, what is it you do for a living this time. I'm amazed that with all the job-hopping you do you're still able to afford all those expensive suits of yours." He pressed some buttons on the machine before turning his head and taking a good look at Balthazar. "You know what? I don't really think I want to know."

Both men were silent for a while as Gabriel reached somewhere underneath the counter for a bottle of whiskey he kept there for times like this, when Balthazar decided to pop in. The man was as unpredictable as the wind, and just as fickle. Sometimes he'd stay in the area for weeks, coming by every few days, other times he'd stay away for months, years even. The longest period of time between two visits had been a little under two years. And never,  _ever_ , did he warn you in advance.

Balthazar took one last, good look at the interior of the shop before splaying his arms and upper body all over the counter.

"You didn't listen to a word I said last time. All that precious advise I gave you, and you didn't change a thing." Gabriel poured a generous amount of whiskey into the coffee, followed by a spoon of brown sugar. He stirred until it all dissolved before pouring the cream on top.

Out of the corner of his eye he could see Balthazar lift a hand and wave it around a little to indicate the entirety of the shop.

"You could get so much more customers, cater to a younger public. I mean, I can't imagine anyone but old ladies or some hurried businessmen coming in here. You need to bring this place alive."

Gabriel placed the Irish Coffee on the counter with just a little bit more force than necessary. "For the last time, Balthazar. I'm not turning this place into a bar. It's a coffee shop for heaven's sake."

"Fine, fine." Balthazar said as he lifted himself off of the counter, hands raised but pale blue eyes sparkling at the steaming mug in front of him. "Just don't come running to me for help when this place goes bust. All you'll hear from me then will be 'I told you so' and in no small amounts. I just thought that since quite a bit of time had passed since we last saw each other you would have changed at least  _something_  about the place. The only thing that ever does change in this place are the hands on that horrendously old fashioned clock."

Gabriel grabbed his cleaning rag from the sink and threw it at Balthazar's face. Balthazar managed to dodge it just enough for it to land on his hair instead of in his face. "Been a long time indeed. Thought we'd finally gotten rid of you for good."

Balthazar made a disgusted face at the damp rag as he pulled it from his hair before hurling it back towards Gabriel, who caught it with ease. "Just shut up and drink your coffee, Balthy-Boy. See if I'll make you something that's not on the board ever again.

Balthazar merely rolled his eyes a bit before taking a sip from his coffee.

"You know, if you keep using the same threats no one's ever going to take you serious." He waited for Gabriel to sigh and focus his attention on something else before he quickly extended his arm and ruffled Gabriel's hair.

Used to Balthazar's antics Gabriel merely swung an arm in such a way that it caught Balthazar's arm, removed his fingers from his hair and caused it to slam into the countertop. Balthazar let out a pained groan and quickly pulled in his arm close to his chest, cradling it. "That. Hurt." Balthazar said, eyes narrowed at the back of Gabriel's head.

Gabriel only turned his head just enough so that Balthazar could see his face and raised an eyebrow. "It was meant to.

"What did I ever do to deserve such a violent and hateful family?" Balthazar said, dramatically gesturing with his arms, a hint of a whine slipping into his voice. "All I ever wanted to do was help."

Gabriel snorted at that. "Yeah, sure."

Balthazar lifted his cup and took a long swallow while blankly staring at Gabriel. "You know, I was going to be nice and tell you about the fact that I heard that Lucifer might be coming back to town, but now I won't."

This caused Gabriel to freeze for a moment before slowly turning around completely and leaning his arms on the counter so that his face was merely inches away from Balthazar's.

"Lucifer? Is coming back here?" Balthazar nodded, humming softly.

"You have got to be shitting me. I mean, what reason could he possibly have to come here instead of staying in whatever hellhole he currently calls home. After everything with Michael I clearly remember him saying that if he never saw this town again it would be too early." Gabriel shook his head.

Balthazar just shrugged to that. "Honestly, I haven't got a clue as to the why. All I know is that, supposedly, he's coming back. He may not even actually come, it may just be a rumour or something, who knows." After that he stood up from his stool, pushed himself up on the counter until he lay on his belly and started to rummage through its contents. When he located the bottle of whiskey he let out a small noise of triumph.

"Now that that's been said, I'd like something in return for that answer." Balthazar unscrewed the top of the bottle before putting the mouth to the top of his glass and pouring in a healthy amount so that now his coffee consisted of more alcohol that actual coffee.

Gabriel sighed and rolled his eyes, snatching back the bottle and putting on the top before storing it in the far end of the counter so that should Balthazar would want it he would have to climb over the displays, something Gabriel wouldn't allow under no circumstances. "As if I'm giving you anything after those previous times. Nu-uh, not this time."

Balthazar gave Gabriel a mock indignant look, bringing a hand to his heart. "You wound me, couz. Or should I say brother? I mean, you and Cassie are more like brothers than anything really, and seeing as I'm his brother…"

"No." Gabriel said flatly before taking a few steps to the side, smile in place to serve the girl who had walked up to the counter. She gave Balthazar a quick scowl when she noticed him checking her out without any scruples.

Gabriel quickly flipped him off from behind his back before going back to being all smiles and warm eyes towards the girl as he took her order. "Ignore him, he's and idiot." He said as a way of apology before getting started on her order.

As soon as he was done and she was gone he went back to Balthazar and slapped him up the head. "Behave. With every time you show up here I'm getting more and more tempted to just not allow you inside anymore.

Balthazar raised his hands in defence but Gabriel could see the glimmer in his pale eyes. "Anyway. Back to my payment. Could I crash here for a couple of days… a week… maybe two…"

"Really?" Gabriel asked in amazement. "You're asking if you can stay here, again, after last time? I do have to tell you, Cas was absolutely pissed at you about what you did to his pots."

Balthazar just stared at Gabriel for a bit, mouth slightly agape. "He was pissed? He threw a cast iron pot at me! I had to get stitches! I've still got the scar!" He brought his hands up in his hair to part it and show Gabriel the scar. "See!"

"Dude, you had sex with a half dozen girls in his bed and his kitchen, especially the kitchen, in the time you were staying with us. I mean, sure, you can go ask him but this time I won't drive you to the hospital, you can crawl there for all I care."

Balthazar downed the rest of his drink in one go before getting up. "Fine, I'll find someplace else to stay. See if I'll ever be willing to help you again with this place."

"We don't need your help, Balthy-boy." Gabriel huffed.

Balthazar pointed a finger at Gabriel. "Violent and hateful family, right there." With that he turned around and left.

Gabriel let his head hang down for just a moment, sighing. Right then Castiel opened up the kitchen door to ask Gabriel about how much he estimated they would need for the rest of the day when he saw him all slumped and leaning against the counter.

"Gabriel?" Castiel made his way over towards his cousin and placed a hand on his shoulder. Gabriel must've been lost in thought because he startled.

"Are you okay?" Castiel asked, looking worried. "Dis something happen?"

Gabriel straightened himself so that he could look straight at Castiel. "Not really. Just Balthazar who's back in town and kinda pissed because I said no to his request to crash with us and apparently Lucifer's coming back to town."

"You're serious?" Castiel asked, disbelieving.

Gabriel nodded. "Yeah.

Dean was hard at work in the yard, dismantling a car to see what parts could be salvaged and which ones were completely useless.

As Sam was making himself a cup of coffee in the kitchen he gazed out of the window while waiting for it to drip through. He thought about how maybe Bobby should take a marker to the sign up front and change it from 'Singer Repair' to 'Singer Repair and Salvage'. Half of the yard was filled with either car wrecks or pieces from ones, and all of that because of one person.

Sam shook his head a little at the memory. A friend of Bobby's, Rufus Turner, had asked if Bobby could take over his car. Bobby had told him that this was a garage, not a salvage yard. In the end he had agreed if only because Rufus wouldn't stop asking.

As fate would have it, a few days later a man brought in his car, an older model for which they didn't produce the parts anymore. Guess what, Rufus' car was of the same model. The part Bobby needed was among the few that weren't completely bust and so he managed to fix the man's car.

Over time other people saw the stripped car sitting in the yard and asked Bobby if he could take their old cars off their hands for them.

Some of those cars had pieces that were still in almost perfect working condition, or, like Rufus' car, were of a make that wasn't being produced anymore. It was cheaper than having to order everything new.

The only problem was that Bobby had a bit of a problem with throwing things away, so the unusable cars and part all piled up over time.

Full mug in hand Sam was about to leave the kitchen when he saw a familiar Mini Cooper drive into the yard.

With a grin on his face he went to stand closer to the window and wondered when Dean would notice the car. As it was he didn't have to wait very long. Mere seconds after Sam had spotted the car Dean's head shot up, recognizing the familiar sound of the little car.

Having parked the car not too far from where Dean's working Castiel stepped out, the faintest trace of a blush colouring his cheeks. Dean wiped his hands on the rag hanging from his belt before walking the few steps to Cas' car.

"Hey, Cas. Having trouble again?" Dean asked, charming smile in place.

Cas nods. "It's the radio. It only plays static, no matter what I do."

Dean makes his way over to the car, nodding lightly. He pulls open the passenger's door and sits down to have look. Cas standing just next to the door, fingers running up and down the side of it.

"I'm really sorry I have to bother you so much like this."

"No problem, man." Dean says while removing the front of the radio. "It is my job, isn't it, and it's not like you're breaking things on purpose."

Castiel let out a nervous chuckle at that, blushing a little more while rubbing his neck.

During their conversation Bobby had returned. Parking his truck next to the house he raises an eyebrow at the two of them before going inside.

Once inside he puts the bags he was holding on the kitchen table and joins Sam by the window.

Sam shoots a glance at Bobby, massive grin in place. Bobby just shakes his head.

It didn't take Dean very long to figure out what was wrong with the radio. A few wires had come a little loose.

Castiel was thanking Dean profoundly as he got out of the car, asking him how much he owed him. Dean just shook his head.

"Oh, but I can't just give you nothing." Castiel protested.

"It's fine, really." Dean insisted, shaking his head.

Dean thought that Cas had finally accepted that he didn't need anything in return when he saw him going back to his car. He was wrong, though. Cas emerging with several Tupperware boxes.

"At least take these. I tried out some new recipes and made way too many for just me and Gabe to eat and since today's our closing day I can't sell them."

Dean took one look at the stuffed boxes and felt his mouth water. He didn't even need to know exactly what was in them, he just knew that everything Cas made was delicious.

"Well, okay then. But only because I don't want them to go bad."

Castiel gave Dean a bright smile in return while he handed them over.

"Thanks again for fixing my radio. He said, getting into his car. "Until next time, I guess."

Dean nodded, raising a hand in goodbye. "Yeah, until next time."

He watched as Cas drove out of the yard before turning around to go put the boxes inside, all the while resisting taking the lid off the top box. He was sure it would all smell amazing.

When he entered the kitchen Sam and Bobby had quickly moved from the window to the middle of the room, lest Dean find out they were spying on him.

"Cas gave me these as a thanks for fixing his radio." Both Sam and Bobby gave a nod while Dean placed them onto the counter.

When Dean was on his way back outside Bobby softly shook his head, muttering: "Idjit."

Chuckling softly Sam dumped his now empty coffee cup in the sink before rifling through the bags on the table.

Whenever Bobby invited the two of them to dinner Sam would always help, something he'd been doing ever since he was old enough that Bobby trusted him not to hurt himself on the knives or the stove.

Standing next to Bobby, whether it was chopping vegetables, peeling potatoes or layering a lasagne, Sam always felt a wave of nostalgia wash over him, making him feel twelve years old again.

Life with Dean and Bobby looking after him was really the only stable life Sam had ever known. When he'd been six months old their mom had been murdered by a serial killer and arsonist by the name of Azazel.

Initially, everything had been left to the police, especially considering that he had killed several people in much the same way already. He always chose families with young children, only killing the mother before setting the house on fire. Some of the families had survived while other perished in the fires.

After a while and three more murders their father, John, had started to become agitated with the police, accusing them of being incapable of doing their job. As a result he decided to go after Azazel himself.

Sam and Dean travelled a lot as kids, John always following the evidence, no matter how far-fetched or vague. The fact that Azazel would now and then seemingly disappear from the globe, sometimes for months, even years before committing his next murder drove John almost to desperation.

For five years this was the only life they knew.

Every now and then, if John was unsure of the risk of certain leads he would leave the boys with Bobby. And so he had done on his latest lead. He was pretty certain that he had figured out where Azazel was hiding. Bobby had asked him, begged him not to go, to just inform the police and let them take care of it. John would hear none of it.

John managed to get his revenge, killed Azazel, clean shot through the head, and it only cost him his life.

Sam and Dean had stayed with Bobby from that moment on. As much as Bobby may have moaned and complained to John that he owned a garage, not a baby-sitting service, he actually liked having the boys around.

When they came of an age Bobby tried to teach them about fixing cars. Dean took to it like a fish to water and often helped Bobby, eager to learn more about all those different types of cars that were out there.

Sam, on the other head, was more or less apathetic towards it. Sure, it was something new to learn, but it didn't really fascinate him like it did Dean. Instead he spent most of his time in Bobby's living-room-turned-library.

Bobby had a bit of an obsession with old books, especially ones on weird or unusual things. As a result, by the time Sam was sixteen he knew the basics to half a dozen forgotten languages and more about the occult and ancient mythology than one could possibly need.

It was a hobby he had passed onto Sam just like he had passed on his love for cars to Dean. After work Sam would often drop by the second hand bookstore just out of town to see if something interesting had been brought it.

That was the other reason Sam always came over early when Bobby invited them to dinner. The two of them would always go sit down in the library and talk about any new finds.

The news about Lucifer had both Gabriel and Castiel a little on edge, especially the first few days after Balthazar's visit. When nothing out of the ordinary happened for a week both finally managed to relax. Aside from that Gabriel was extremely glad Balthazar hadn't decided to drop by again. No one ever liked dealing with a pissed-off Balthazar.

There was the usual steady trickle of customers for the weekend. Other people might have complained about how they didn't have that much of a clientele compared to other shops, But Gabriel like it this way. He had absolutely no idea how those people working at chains or stores smack-dab in the middle of a busy city did it. He liked the intimacy of it, the fact that he knew the majority of their customers to a certain extend.

He was just contemplating whether or not he should ask Cas to bake another batch of brownies as well as an apple cake when the little bell above the door chimed.

Gabriel raised an eyebrow at Sam when he noticed Dean coming in behind him. In response, Sam rolled his eyes and shook his head just the tiniest bit.

It was almost as if Castiel had a sixth-sense when it came to Dean because no sooner had the two brothers reached the counter or Cas appeared in the doorway. His eyes widening for a split second when he spotted Dean.

Sam and Gabriel were watching the two, trying their best to hide their grins.

Cas quickly ran a hand through his hair, staining it with even more flour than it already was before stepping through the doorway and behind the counter.

"Hallo Dean." He said softly, fingers fiddling with the edge of his apron. "Sam." He added, almost as an afterthought.

"Hey Cas." Dean said, smiling brightly before taking a few steps to the side so he could talk to Cas.

With a last glance to them Gabriel placed his arms on the counter and leaned over towards Sam.

"We need to do something about them." He whispered. Sam nodded in response.

"Definitely. It was amusing at first. Now? Now it's just painful to watch."

Both men nodded at each other before resting their head on their hand, trying to come up with the best way to play matchmaker.


End file.
